Rediscovering the Joys of Birding
• Thursday, March 13, 2008 - First Singing Chiffchaff of the year and a Little Stint
This morning I went on my usual run which now involves a gentle jog with my bins around the local birding spots to warm up followed by a full-tilt run back home.
This morning I went to the Trap Grounds by the canal which consists of a small wood around a heavily reeded pond. I was looking specifically for marsh, willow and coal tits which admittedly aren't known for the area but I thought I'd give it a try - no luck today though. However I did find a chiffchaff which obliged me by singing to identify itself - a pleasant reminder that spring is just around the corner.
Back home, just after lunch I checked on Bird Guides to see that a Little Stint had be spotted on Port Meadow so I quickly nipped out on my bike to see if I could find it. The floods are comparatively large there to find such a tiny bird so I wasn't overly optimistic. I decided that my best bet was to see if it was hanging out with the flock of dunlin that are usually present. A quick scan with my scope found 6 redshank, 4 ruff and then in the distance a few dunlin. I moved to a closer location to check through the dunlin and then I spotted something smaller amongst them and there it was! I was very pleased with this sighting as it's only the second one I've ever seen, the first being last autumn also on Port Meadow.
The stint brings up the 100 for my year list:
099: chiffchaff
100: little stint |
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